On July 20, 1969, the United States Apollo 11 space flight landed on the moon. It was the third lunar mission of NASA’s Apollo program and the vessel was crewed by Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin Jr.

Sabtu, 30 Juni 2012

If you have
an online business and you give quotes to your customers for custom jobs then
you probably use some form of an invoicing system to collect the money from the
customers.

You have most
probably used or are currently using PayPal in some capacity to receive
payments for your products or services. PayPal is the most popular payment
gateway for online merchants and consumers alike and is used by tens of
millions of people to sell products from their websites.

Apart from
giving you the ability to accept payments from customers via “Add to Cart” or
“Buy Now” buttons on your site, PayPal also has functionality which makes it
possible for you to create and send invoices directly from your PayPal account.

The invoice
functionality offered by PayPal is free and is a somewhat overlooked and
seemingly little known feature.

PayPal’s
invoicing feature can be a very useful tool for anybody who wishes to request a
payment from someone in a professional manner. This is in contrast to the
simpler “Request Money” feature which is also available from your PayPal
account and which allows for a basic message requesting payment to be sent to
anybody with an email address.

As we’ll see
in the example below, with the PayPal invoicing feature, you can tailor your
invoices to look official and professional and hence add that extra touch of
quality to how you request payments from your clients.

The added
beauty of using PayPal’s invoices is that they not only allow people to pay you
using their PayPal account, but they also make it possible for people to send
money even if they don’t have an account with PayPal but they simply want to
pay using their credit or debit card.

Kamis, 28 Juni 2012

Chances are you never heard of this battle, but had the
Franks lost it, we might all be bowing towards Mecca five times a day and
studying our Koran each night. The battle near the city of Tours pitted about
20,000 Carolingian Franks under Charles Martel against a Muslim force of up to
50,000 soldiers under Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi intent on bringing Islam to
Europe. Though outnumbered, Martel proved to be an especially able commander
and routed the invaders, driving them back into Spain and, ultimately (through
his son, Pippin the Great) off the continent. Had Martel lost, Islam would
probably have become the predominant faith of Europe and, eventually, the main
religion around the world today. How this would have impacted western
civilization can only be guessed at, but chances are it would have taken a
dramatically different tact than it did.

4. Battle
of Vienna, 1683

In something of a remake of the earlier Battle of Tours (see
no. 5) the Muslims were again on the march in an effort to claim all of Europe
for Allah. This time, riding under the banner of the Ottoman Empire, somewhere
between 150,000 to 300,000 troops under Kara Mustafa Pasha met a mixed force of
some 80,000 troops under the Polish King John Sobrieski near Vienna one fine
September in 1683 and somehow lost. The battle proved to be the end of Islamic
expansion into Europe and resulted in their commander, Mustafa Pasha, being
executed by the Turks for his mishandling of the siege and battles for Vienna.
How close were things? Had Pasha attacked when he first arrived at the city
earlier that July, Vienna probably would have fallen; in waiting until
September, however, he gave time for the Polish Army and their allies to arrive
to break the siege and provide the forces necessary to send the Turks packing.
Still, you’d think that with a 2 to 1 or even 3 to 1 advantage, they should
have something to show for their efforts.

3.
Yorktown, 1781

In terms of numbers, this was a pretty puny battle (8,000
American troops, supported by 8,000 French troops, against some 9,000 British
troops) but by the time it ended on October 19, 1781, it changed the world
forever. The indomitable British Empire, the super power of its day, should
have easily defeated the rag-tag colonists under George Washington, and for most
of the war, they generally had the upper hand. By 1781, however, the upstart
Americans had learned how to fight and, having acquired the assistance of
England’s arch enemy, France, had become a small but professional fighting
force. As a result, the British under Cornwallis found themselves trapped on a
peninsula between the determined Americans on the one side and a French fleet
on the other that made escape impossible and so, after a couple of weeks of
fighting, they surrendered. In doing so, the Americans defeated the world’s
premier military power and gained independence for some backwoods country in
the new world called the United States of America.

2. Battle
of Salamis, 480 BCE

Imagine a sea battle today that involved over a thousand
ships and one can begin to appreciate the magnitude of this single engagement
between the outnumbered Greek Navy under Themistocles and the massive navy of
King Xerxes of Persia. The Greeks had used guile to get the Persian fleet to
sail into the narrow Straits of Salamis, where they were able to deprive them
of taking advantage of their superior numbers, and dealt the Persians a
humiliating defeat. As a result, Xerxes was forced to withdraw most of his army
back to Persia, thereby leaving Greece to the Greeks and preserving western
civilization in the process. A number of historians believe that a Persian
victory would have stilted the development of Ancient Greece, and by extension
‘western civilization’ per se, making Salamis one of the most significant
battles in human history.

1.
Adrianople, 718

What The Battle of Tours (see No. 5) was for western Europe,
and the Battle of Vienna (No. 4) was for central Europe, the battle of
Adrianople was for eastern Europe in that once again, the armies of Islam were
stopped in their tracks just as they were prepared to take all of Europe. Had
this battle been lost and Constantinople—at the time the largest city in
Christendom—fallen to the Muslims, it would have allowed the armies of Islam to
move practically unimpeded throughout the Balkans and into central Europe and
Italy. As it was, Constantinople was to act like the cork in a bottle, keeping
the armies of Allah from crossing the Bosporus and taking Europe in force—a
role it was to play for the next 700 years until the city finally fell in 1453.

Ultrabooks
took the forefront at this year’s CES and Dell, one of the industry’s top guns,
unveiled the Dell XPS 13 to us all. It’s got some catching up to do – after
all, the Asus Zenbook UX31 and Toshiba Satellite Z830 have impressed us for
some months now.

Luckily it
seems more than a match for its Ultra-competition and some remarkable design
choices instantly set this apart from others we’ve seen. With Intel, as ever,
providing the latest Sandy Bridge performance specs, this could be the
Ultrabook to tip the balance. The Dell XPS 13 we've been looking at is a
pre-build model, so the full retail version could potentially vary slightly,
but we'll keep you posted on that.

Dell XPS 13: Features

The Dell XPS
13’s aluminium chassis is jaw-droppingly attractive. Outwardly, it’s a smaller,
thinner version of the Dell XPS 15z and the Dell XPS 14z – no bad thing. A
curving silver shell measuring 7mm at its thinnest point and a barely-there
weight of 1.4 means holding the XPS 13 is akin to holding a tablet.

Once you lift
the lid and peer inside, the craftsmanship of the device becomes apparent.
Unlike the silver interiors of rivals like the Acer Aspire S3, the XPS 13 is a
rubberised jet black and devoid of stickers or markings.

Because of
the thinness of the chassis the backlit chicklet keyboard, like other
Ultrabooks, has a shallow travel. But spacing of the keys is well proportioned,
as is the slightly curving design of the keys themselves.

Dell XPS 13: Screen

We had to
marvel at the engineering of the screen on the Dell XPS 13. There’s almost no
bezel around the edge, so the 13.3-inch screen seems like it’s sitting in an
11-inch laptop. The whole screen is made with tough Gorilla Glass and the 1366
x 768 pixel resolution is good enough to enjoy 720p high-definition movies.

Dell XPS 13: Performance

When you’re
done admiring the outside of the Dell XPS 13, you’ll find the interior
components just as pleasing. Sporting a quad-core Intel Core i7-2637M CPU, you
get lightning quick response times and can comfortably multitask between a
range of programs and web pages.

The Sandy
bridge chip runs with an integrated Intel graphics card with about 1.5GB given
over to shared video memory. Movie and photo editing shouldn’t be a problem,
but games will be beyond this machine.

Dell XPS 13: Battery

Battery life
is a key feature of the Ultrabook platform and the 6-cell battery built into
the XPS 13 isn’t accessible to the likes of you and me. But, Dell claims it
will run comfortably up to 8 hours, giving you an entire day at the office
without needing the mains.

Dell XPS 13: Verdict

While we've
only been able to get our hands on a pre-build version so far, the Dell XPS 13
Ultrabook matches jaw-dropping design with characteristically strong
performance. Although we would have liked a little more connectivity, there’s
very little to fault with this device.

It
differentiates itself from the competition with a head-turning design and keeps
up an impressive battery life. The Gorilla Glass display is given room to shine
thanks to a minimal bezel and we felt we could use it as much for work as for
kicking back with a high-definition movie.

We feel this
is easily one of the strongest Ultrabooks in the current line-up and a
spectacular piece of engineering from Dell. We'll bring you more info as soon
as we've had the final retail model on our test bench, as well as a confirmed
retail price.

Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 has a tough challenge ahead of it.
The latest entry in the biggest shooter franchise on the planet faces stiff
competition at the end of this year in the form of EA’s Medal Of Honor:
Warfighter.

Not only that, it’s likely the game’s publisher expects it
to improve on the sales of last year’s COD game, which, in spite of the fact it
has sold upwards of 9m units, still hasn’t broken the record for the series of
13.7m units – which is currently held by the first Call Of Duty: Black Ops.

This means that Black Ops’s developer, Treyarch, is no
longer in competition with Infinity Ward, the studio behind the Modern Warfare
games. It’s mainly competing against its own past record. This is a pretty
tall-order, so it’s to the developer’s credit that the first reveal of the game
it’s shown T3, packs a sizable wallop.

Call Of
Duty Black Ops 2: Plot

Unlike its predecessor, which was set during various
intervals during the Cold War, the story in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 takes
place in the not-too-distant future. The game’s weapons are more advanced, the
gadgets are very high-tech, and a lot of the USA’s defence systems have become
automated.

The story kicks off when terrorist group hacks into the
system that controls these robot defences and turns them on their users. Then
all hell breaks loose.

The sequence of events Treyarch reveals to T3 in the
first-look demo is mind-blowing. The COD series has always had a reputation for
mixing authentic shooter action with epic action set-pieces, but even so,
Treyarch have outdone themselves here.

The reveal begins inside a Hummer speeding down the Los
Angeles freeway. The game’s protagonist, Mason, tries to save the life of a
presidential aid choking to death on his own blood. The President Of The United
States is sat beside him, talking to one of Mason’s comrades, Harper, about
getting her to safety.

Overhead, UAV drones are firing missiles into the LA
traffic, and cars are being blown off the road. Suddenly the entire screen
shudders and the POV tips sideways as a missile hits the Hummer.

Call Of
Duty Black Ops 2: Gameplay

Mason scrambles from the wreckage, leaps onto the back of
the car, and takes control of a missile turret. He quickly targets the UAV
drones overhead, as Harper covers the president. After shooting a fair number
of enemies down, he has to abandon the turret, as UAV shoots a hole in the
raised freeway beneath the Hummer, and the vehicle goes tumbling through it.

The action comes thick and furious. We watch, open-mouthed,
as Mason and his troops avoid flying cars, rapel into the streets, commandeer a
car and then hurtle into downtown LA as explosions detonate all around them.

They then have to shoot their way through a shopping mall;
here, the demo showcases some of the hardware players can expect to use, such
as remote drones that strafe enemies, and guns sporting bullets powerful enough
to shoot through a building’s support columns.

The battle spills back out onto the street where T3 watches
as a skyscraper comes crashing down into the middle of the street. After a
brief exchange between Mason and Harper, the former leaps into a jumpjet and
takes to the skies, firing missiles and explosive rounds at the unmanned bombers
attacking the city.

Call Of
Duty Black Ops 2: Verdict

In terms of spectacle, this puts the likes of Michael Bay
and Tony Scott firmly in the shade. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 looks bigger,
badder and better than its predecessor and its wall-to-wall action is
relentless. If the rest of Black Ops 2’s package is as impressive as this,
Treyarch should be onto a winner this November.

Senin, 11 Juni 2012

Update: Our iPhone 5 rumours post has grown to
accomodate more gossip - which you'll find across all three pages - in addition
to some amazing iPhone 5 concept images.

Rumours surrounding the iPhone 5’s release
date, potential specs and features, and price have fuelled reports that Apple
is gearing up to launch its next-gen smartphone around summer time.

The handset, which is rumoured to be named the new iPhone, is reportedly under
construction – and the rumour mill has been busy speculating about what we can
expect to see from the device, if and when it lands.

While none of the below have been confirmed by Apple – the company is
notoriously good at keeping secrets – we’ve rounded up all the speculation
dished out by sources, experts & fanboys to get some clue on what to expect
from the iPhone 5.

Apple
iPhone 5: Release Date

Respected Japanese Apple blog Macotakara has allegedly received word from "Asian
sources" who claim that Apple will launch the device in September or
October 2012 which would fit with last year’s arrival of the iPhone 4S.

"According to Asian reliable source, next iPhone will be released in
September or October, and this cycle seems to be kept for years," read a
translated portion of the report.

If the article proves to be accurate, it would mean the company is returning to
the 12-month launch cycles we saw for the first four versions of the beloved
device.

Last year's October iPhone 4S launch was the only time Apple has verged from
the summer cycle, making users wait 15 months instead of the usual 12 for a new
handset.

While the iPhone 4S was more of an evolutionary upgrade, with a faster
processor an improved camera and the addition of the Siri voice control app,
the iPhone 5 is likely to bring a more revolutionary approach, perhaps with the
addition of a 4G LTE internet and a larger screen size.

Apple
iPhone 5: Price

The 16GB iPhone 4S lines up in retailers with
a hefty £499 price tag. Prices continue up all the way to £699 for the 64GB
edition.

Ahead of the iPhone 4S successor’s announcement, it is believed that the
sixth-gen model will simply replace the iPhone 4s in terms of price points and
range of models with any 128GB storage option likely to hit the £799 price
mark.

Apple
iPhone 5: Name

Following the March launch of the new iPad,
eports have suggested that Apple is to cease the numbered naming convention of
its pocket blowers and move the market leading iPhone range in line with its
Mac offerings which see multiple product overhauls occur whilst maintaining the
same base name.

“About two weeks ago we got a tip from a reliable source that Apple was going
to call the iPhone 5 the new “iPhone,” according to Apple blog 9to5Mac.

“That seemed a little nuts at the time but what a difference a Keynote
makes. Apple chopped the suffix off if the iPad as part of a branding makeover
that will likely expand.

The report added: “Just like iMac is not called iMac 1,2,3 it looks like Apple
won’t be doing the numbering on iOS devices (though it never did with the iPod
touch).”

Apple
iPhone 5: Display

Update: Apple
has reportedly begun manufacturing on its rumoured iPhone 5 handsets. Reports
suggest Sony has been working on display components for the Californian
company’s next-gen smartphone since February – and will ramp up production on
the panels at the end of this month.

According to AppleInsider, the consumer electronics manufacturer is working
in conjunction with other firms, such as Toshiba Mobile Display and LG Display
Co, to roll out enough panels for the heavily rumoured device, expected to
launch later this year.

Stone Wu, a senior analyst at IHS Displaybank, said: “Even for those companies
that start mass production in May, they can only reach an average yield of 65
to 70 per cent at present.”

Although there has been no official word on the iPhone 5’s screen size, rumours
suggest growing competition and market pressures will see Apple introduce a new
plus 4-inch model.

These rumours have been backed up by a selection of industry analysts that have
suggested Apple will be forced into the screen size overhaul as competition
from rival handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3, intensify.

Speaking with T3, industry specialist Daniel Ashdown from tech analysis company
Juniper Research suggested Apple may opt for a larger screen for the iPhone 5.

He said: "It will be particularly interesting to see what the size of the
display will be given that it has not changed thus far since the iPhone was
launched with a 3.5-inch screen.

"Competitors have increased their devices to up to 4.3". We would be
surprised if they [Apple] didn't break from tradition this time and increase
the size of the next model."

Contrary to these claims, other reports have suggested Apple will retain its
3.5-inch iPhone display for future handsets as a larger screen could disturb
the iOS platform’s offering of apps.

Apple
iPhone 5: Specs

Update:The key reason for current users to upgrade to
an iPhone 5 later this year will be a 'sleek unibody casing', according to an
industry analyst.

In a note to investors, Brian J. White of Topeka Capital Markets reckons
production will begin on a new 4-inch iPhone in June this year, following a
recent visit to suppliers in Taiwan and China,AppleInsiderreported.

He says the sixth generation iPhone device will boast a look similar to the
single sheet aluminium casings featured on recent iterations of the Apple
MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines.

He wrote: "In our view, this will be the most significant iPhone upgrade
with a four-inch screen and a new, sleek look that we believe will require a
Unibody case.

“This new, sleek look will be the most important reason that consumers decide
to upgrade."

Meanwhile, despite the on-going legal battles between the two companies over
repeated patent infringements, Samsung looks set to continue its role as a
component supplier for Apple’s iDevices.

The Korean firm is reported to be providing the quad-core A6 chips to feature
within the iPhone 5.

“Apple has been in talks with Samsung over shipment of its A6 quad-core mobile
processor (AP) chips to be used in the next iPhone,” sources toldKoreaTimes.

They added: “It appears that Apple clearly has concluded that Samsung remains a
critical business partner.”

Meanwhile, further reports have suggested Apple is to shave millimetres off the
form of its next-generation handset thanks to the introduction of a new
streamlined Sony camera sensor.

Whilst handsets and tablets continue to ship with increasingly slim form
factors, the lack of cut sized camera sensors has started to slow the
possibilities of even slimmer devices.

Sony, however, has announced a new back-illuminated CMOS sensor tipped for
inclusion within the Apple iPhone 5 that will allow for increasingly thin
designs with improved functionality.

"This structure achieves further enhancement in image quality, superior
functionalities and a more compact size that will lead to enhanced camera
evolution.”

Apple iPhone 5: Design

Update: The
next generation Apple iPhone 5 could appear longer and thinner, with a
widescreen aspect ratio, reports suggest.

9to5Mac has received word from its sources that the
company will launch the device with a 3.999-inch screen (diagonally) with a
resolution of 640 x 1136, compared to the existing 640 x 960, 3.5-inch
offering.

The width of the screen will remain the same, but the device would be longer,
if the article is correct. This contradicts claims that the Californian firm
will include a 4-inch screen on the rumoured device.

The Apple news site says it knows of two prototype iPhone 5 devices currently
being tested, both of which sport the new screen size.

A key advantage of the new aspect ratio, which is close to 16:9, will be
full-screen native video, but 9to5Mac reckons the company is planning to
integrate an extra row of app icons on the homescreen, making five in total.

It'll also allow for "extended application user interfaces that offer
views of more content," according to the report.

The site added that it also believes current plans will see a smaller,
redesigned dock connector, which will eventually graduate to all iOS devices.

Other reports have claimed something similar.

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that its 'in-the-know' contact
believes the iPhone 5 will feature a “different form factor”, adopting a brand
new design following the antennagate issues that resulted in signal problems
with the iPhone 4.

Since then Engadget has spoken to multiple sources who claim that a complete
redesign of the handset body is on the cards and that the device is already
being tested by staff at Apple HQ.

Also on the cards for the iPhone 5 is an all-metal back, similar to that found
on the original iPhone, reportedly in a bid to avoid the embarrassing antenna
issues experienced on the iPhone 4.

The glass posterior of the iPhone 4 was also prone to unsightly cracks if
treated roughly, and was rumoured to be the cause of the delay of the white
model - a headache all round for Apple.

An Apple patent also points to the iPhone using smaller conductive nodes
beneath the screen, allowing for the overall device to be slimmer.

Apple
iPhone 5: Camera

New reports have suggested the iPhone 5 will
land with a high-spec 3D snapper.

In fact, Cupertino-based Apple is also expected to include the hardware in all
of its upcoming mobile devices, TrustedReviews reports.

In March, the Apple-dedicated site Patently Apple published details of what it claims to be
of a patent registered by Apple. The patent outlines a 3D imaging camera that
will reportedly allow users to make use of advanced micro lenses to add visual
depth to extra-dimensional snaps.

A post on the site reads: “Apple has invented a killer 3D imaging camera that
will apply to both still photography and video.

“The new cameras in development will utilize new depth-detection sensors such
as LIDAR, RADAR and Laser that will create stereo disparity maps in creating 3D
imagery.

“Additionally, the cameras will use advanced chrominance and luminance Sensors
for superior color accuracy.”

We’re not sure what to make of a 3D camera, purely because we’ve played with
them before and had mixed opinions.

But then again, this is Apple, so we could possibly see something remarkably
new (and improved) than the lacklustre 3D kit found in, say, the Nintendo 3DS
(please don’t shoot us!).

The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-225 Мрія,
Dream, NATO reporting name: 'Cossack') is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft,
designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's heaviest
aircraft. The design, built in order to transport the Buran orbiter, was an
enlargement of the successful Antonov An-124. The An-225's name, Mriya (Мрiя)
means "Dream" (Inspiration) in Ukrainian.

The first An-225 was completed in 1988 and a second An-225
has been partially completed. The completed An-225 is in commercial operation
with Antonov Airlines carrying oversized payloads.

Development

The Antonov An-225 was designed to airlift the Energia
rocket's boosters and the Buran space shuttle for the Soviet space program. It
was developed as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T. The An-225's original
mission and objectives are almost identical to that of the United States'
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The An-225 first flew on 21 December 1988. The aircraft was
on static display at the Paris Air Show in 1989 and it flew during the public
days at the Farnborough air show in 1990. Two aircraft were ordered, but only
one An-225 (tail number UR-82060) was finished. It can carry ultra-heavy and
oversize freight, up to 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) internally,or 200,000 kg
(440,000 lb) on the upper fuselage. Cargo on the upper fuselage can be 70
metres (230 ft) long.

A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s
for the Soviet space program. The second An-225 included a rear cargo door and
a redesigned tail with a single vertical stabilizer. It was planned to be more
effective for cargo transportation.Following the collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1991 and the cancellation of the Buran space program, the lone operational
An-225 was placed in storage in 1994.The six Ivchenko Progress engines were
removed for use on An-124s, and the second uncompleted An-225 airframe was also
stored. The first An-225 was later re-engined and put into serviceBy 2000, the
need for additional An-225 capacity had become apparent, so the decision was
made in September 2006 to complete the second An-225. The second airframe was
scheduled for completion around 2008, then delayed. By August 2009, the
aircraft had not been completed and work had been abandoned.In May 2011 Antonov
CEO is reported to have said that the completion of a second An-225 Mriya
transport aircraft with a carrying capacity of 250 tons requires at least $300
million, but if the financing is provided, its completion could be achieved in
three years.According to different sources, the second jet is 60-70% complete.

Design

Based on Antonov's earlier An-124, the An-225 has fuselage
barrel extensions added fore and aft of the wings, which received root
extensions to increase span. Two more Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofan engines
were added to the new wing roots, bringing the total to six, and an
increased-capacity landing gear system with 32 wheels was designed. The
An-124’s rear cargo door and ramp were removed to save weight, and the
empennage was changed from a single vertical stabilizer to a twin tail with an
oversized horizontal stabilizer. The twin tail was essential to enable the
plane to carry large, heavy external loads that would disturb the aerodynamics of
a conventional tail. Unlike the An-124, the An-225 was not intended for
tactical airlifting and is not designed for short-field operation.

Initially the 225 had a maximum gross weight of 600 tonnes
(1,320,000 lb) but the aircraft was modified in 2000–01, at a cost of US$20M,
with a reinforced floor that increased the maximum gross weight to 640 tonnes
(1,410,000 lb).

Both the earlier and later takeoff weights establish the
An-225 as the world's heaviest aircraft, being heavier than the double-deck
Airbus A380 even though Airbus plans to pass the An-225's maximum landing
weight with 591.7 tonnes (1,304,000 lb) for the A380. The Hughes H-4 Hercules,
known as the "Spruce Goose", had a greater wingspan and a greater
overall height, but was 20% shorter, and due to the materials used in its
construction, also lighter. In addition, the Hercules only flew once, making
the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to fly multiple times. The An-225
is larger than the Airbus A380 airliner, and also bigger than the Antonov
An-124, Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter, and Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, the nearest
equivalent heavy cargo aircraft.

Operational
history

In the late 1970s, efforts were begun by the Soviet
government to generate revenue from its military assets. In 1989, a holding
company was set up by the Antonov Design Bureau as a heavy airlift shipping
corporation under the name "Antonov Airlines", based in Kiev, Ukraine
and operating from London Luton Airport in partnership with Air Foyle
HeavyLift.

As the Soviet space program was in its last years, the
An-225 was employed as the prime method of transporting the Buran Shuttle.

The company initiated operations with a fleet of four
An-124-100s and three Antonov An-12s, but by the late 1990s a need for aircraft
larger than the An-124 became apparent. In response, the original An-225 was
re-engined, modified for heavy cargo transport, and placed back in service
under the management of Antonov Airlines.

On 23 May 2001, the An-225 received its type certificate
from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR). In September
2001, carrying 4 main battle tanks at a record load of 253.82 tonnes (279.79
short tons) of cargo, the An-225 flew at an altitude of 2 km (6,600 ft) over a
closed circuit of 1,000 km (620 mi) at a speed of 763.2 km/h (474.2 mph).

The type's first flight in commercial service departed from
Stuttgart, Germany on 3 January 2002, and flew to Thumrait, Oman with 216,000
prepared meals for American military personnel based in the region. This vast
number of ready meals was transported on some 375 pallets and weighed 187.5
tons.

The An-225 has since become the workhorse of the Antonov
Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air,
such as locomotives and 150-ton generators. It has become an asset to
international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge
quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations.

The An-225 has been contracted by the Canadian and U.S.
governments to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of
Coalition forces.In November 2004, FAI placed the An-225 in the Guinness Book
of Records for its 240 records. An example of the cost of shipping cargo by
An-225 was €266,000 for flying a chimney duct from Denmark to Kazakhstan in
2008.

On 11 August 2009, the heaviest single cargo item ever sent
via air freight was loaded onto the Antonov 225. At 16.23 metres (53.2 ft) long
and 4.27 metres (14.0 ft) wide, the consignment–a generator for a gas power
plant in Armenia and its loading frame–weighed in at a record 189 tonnes
(420,000 lb).[Also during 2009, the An-225 was painted in a new blue and yellow
paint scheme,after Antonov ceased cooperation with AirFoyle and partnered with
Volga-Dnepr in 2006.

On 11 June 2010, the An-225 carried the world's longest
piece of air cargo, when it flew two new 42-meter test wind turbine blades from
Tianjin, China to Denmark.

Sabtu, 09 Juni 2012

HTC’s new One range -
which also includes theHTC One SandHTC One V-
aims for the Android heights with slick design, fast NVIDIA processors, greatly
enhanced cameras andBeats Audiofrom
the Wonka-esque lab of Dr Dre. The HTC One X is the flagship, sporting a truly
spectacular 4.7-inch screen, yet remaining thin, easily pocketable and usable
by everyone short of Tiny Hands McGee.

HTC
One X: Design

This is not just a slight reworking of the HTC
line. Long-standing problems such as samey, mediocre looks and poor battery
life have been addressed and the result is an HTC handset unlike any other,
even if it talks the same design language.

It’s a highly tactile
phone that you want to stroke and roll round your hand like a worry stone, it’s
perhaps the most touchable handset since theiPhone3GS.

That’s partly because there are no visible
seams apart from the power and volume buttons, the micro USB charging slot and
a tiny cover for the micro SIM.

It’s under 9mm thick and this makes it
manageable in all but the smallest hands. There’s a sealed battery, so no
removable back to spoil the look, and more space to squeeze in more battery
with less cladding; vital with such a big screen in such a thin body.

Like theNokia Lumia 800, this handset proves that you can achieve a
high-end feel without relying on aluminium or glass. The One X is made from
polycarbonate – posh plastic, basically – making it light in spite of its size.
The unibody frame means it all holds together effortlessly, with no creaking,
no matter how much you try and flex it.

Look closely and you’ll see the white back is
matt but the edge and front are gloss. Matching these different finishes so
smoothly is further proof of HTC’s forensic attention to detail.

HTC
One X: Screen

About that screen: turn the phone on and you
can’t miss the remarkable display. At 4.7 inches, it’s massive, sure, but
actually it’s the resolution that stands out. This measures 312 pixels per
inch, almost as high-definition as the iPhone 4S, and the larger size means it
looks arguably more impressive.

It’s sharp, colourful and deeply attractive,
looking as detailed as a printed photograph. It’s especially good with video or
showing off photographs.

HTC
One X: Camera

You’ll likely be doing plenty of that because
the eight-meg/1080p camera with backside illuminated sensor and LED flash is
another standout feature. It take great pics and vids, with minimal shutter
lag, but HTC has really aced it with the extra features.

You can shoot stills while recording video or
even extract stills from video in “post-production”, picking the frames you
want from recorded footage. Stills shutter and video recording buttons are
onscreen at all times, along with a lens which, in Instagram style, lets you
add sepia, vignette, distortion and other effects which you can view as you
snap. Then, when you’re playing back video, touching the shutter icon will
capture still images from the moving ones.

HTC
One X: Speed

The One X is one of the first phones to employ
a NVIDIA Tegra quadcore processor, and it is BRISK. Video playback is
stutter-free, games are quick and glitchless. The touchscreen’s responses are
Teflon-smooth and immediate. In every department, the phone’s speed knocks you
out.

HTC
One X: Ice Cream Sandwich

It’s also one of the
first to market withAndroid 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich,
the latest version of Android. As ever with HTC, its overlaid with the
company’s Sense skin. Sense is far better than similar overlays from LG, Sony
and Motorola. HTC Sense is all-encompassing, with really well thought out apps
and features.

Take the lock screen. There, you drag a ring
up the screen to wake the phone, but you can also drag one of four,
user-selected icons – defaults are phone, mail, messages and camera – into the
ring, to launch that app or function.

Lists and menus on Android phones used to have
an elastic spring to them as you scrolled. Now when you reach the top of a
menu, contacts or missed call list, say, a blue light seeps out to tell you
you’re at the end. On the One X, the list’s entries separate like carefully
arranged slips of paper sliding apart. It’s really rather satisfying.

HTC
One X: Battery Life

Battery life hasn’t always been HTC’s
strongest suit, the One X rights that. It gives a good 12 hours of power usage,
making it to its nightly recharges with few alarms. The good stuff really is
laid on thick, here.

HTC
One X: Browsing

The web browser works well, including a
well-executed, Apple-style Read button that strips out images to leave just
text. Zoom in on this and the words reformat to fit the screen. The menu button
offers neat extras like a tab option that makes incognito browsing easy and
one-press access to Flash player or desktop versions of sites.

HTC
One X: Beats

The sound is all processed via Dr Dre Beats
Audio software and hardware, giving improved sonics on everything from the The
Byrds to Angry Birds. It’s actually difficult to find things to criticise here.
Some might balk at the lack of a microSD slot, but 32GB of built-in storage is
plenty, and you also get access to bonus Dropbox storage for two years.

Similarly, some don’t like non-removable
batteries but if the result, as here, is greater longevity, it’s pretty hard to
complain.

HTC
One X: Apps

Furthermore, older caveats about range and
quality of apps and functionality compared to iPhones barely apply anymore.
Okay, the App Store and iTunes Store are better than Google Play and Amazon
MP3, but really not by much. Similarly, while the experience of iOS could be
described as a little slicker, what was a gulf in quality is now more like a
narrow alleyway.

HTC
One X: Verdict

The HTC One X is a handsome, speedy handset
with power and versatility. You can see that a lot of thought has been applied
to key features – the OS, the camera, the Beats Audio – but also to details
such as the carefully milled holes that form the earpiece and rear speakers. If
you can live with the size, this is currently the best Android smartphone
around.